


the trend game

by YukinaMika



Series: 2020 [35]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27263215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukinaMika/pseuds/YukinaMika
Summary: In which Marinette and Jason are their usual chaotic selves and the press has a field day. Probably.For Maribat Platonic November Day 5 - Social Media
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd
Series: 2020 [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593016
Comments: 6
Kudos: 123





	the trend game

In another world, Batman exists but Jason Todd is never caught jacking the tires of the Batmobile. Instead, he sells them and gets the money he risked his neck for.

Years later and Jason finds himself at the Wayne Gala, the fashion designer who is taking the world by a storm hanging on his arms and flashing a smile at the camera and smirking when Gothamites rear back at the sight of the feral grin that is Crime Alley’s trademarked brand.

“You should invite me to more of this,” he whispers behind a flute of champagne, “I don’t really mind posing as your date and god knows how much fun it is when they realize I’m from Crime Alley.”

“I can almost picture the headlines tomorrow,” Marinette chokes back a laugh, leaning her weight on him, “Jay, want to bet which will it be?”

“Lady and the Tramp: a real-life Disney romance?” he quips, laughter bubbling out at the thought of the whole world lurching when tomorrow’s paper comes out, “Cliché trope: Nice girl falls for bad boy?”

Marinette howls with mirth, clamping a hand over her mouth to keep the chortles from spilling out. Jason nudges her with a grin at the chaos they would unleash together.

“Oh god,” Marinette wheezes, holding her stomach, “We probably won’t have to wait until tomorrow.”

True. With the kind of technologies nowadays, they would be trending by the time they leave the Gala. Or perhaps sooner. Who knows.

“Hey, want to go and sow some discord?”

“To spice up the night? Hell yeah!”

* * *

Morning comes and they both sits at the table with their phones vibrating madly, matching grins on their faces as they pick up their own pencil. Their respective bingo sheet lies before them, all boxes filled and ready to go whenever.

“The first to bingo wins,” Marinette offers, staring at her housemate challengingly, “The winner will cook breakfast for the next three weeks.”

“You might want to lower it to two weeks,” Jason purrs, batting his eyelashes like he is just making an innocent suggestion rather than the banter that it is, “We both know I have much better luck than you.”

“In your dream, Jay!” she huffs, swiping her finger over the screen of her phone, unlocking it and tapping at the first article about them that she sees, “Remember, if you spot your word, you have to read the whole paragraph out loud.”

The silence prickle with tension as they scroll through their phones, skimming and scanning through articles with their names on it. It lasts until Marinette makes a triumphant sound.

“Listen to this,” she crows, “Last night, Paris’ darling was spotted hanging off the arms of a handsome hunk at the annual Wayne Gala. According to our source at the Gala, Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome swept our darling angel off her feet and the loving couple spent the night whispering raunchy sweet-nothings into each other’s ears.”

“What?!” Jason gasps, “They really wrote that?”

“Apparently, we spent the whole night ‘whispering raunchy sweet-nothings’ after you swept me off my feet,” Marinette howls in laughter, “That’s a tick for ‘Jason being called a hunk’ in my sheet.”

“I mean, I have the body for it,” is Jason’s blasé reply, “But god, ‘whispering raunchy sweet-nothings into each other’s ears’? More like laughing at the upper crust bumbling fools and rating their terrible suits.”

“They would have never written that if they knew how much of a prude you are,” Marinette teases, wiping a tear from her eyes, “And don’t try to argue with me. I do remember the times you insisted on coming to my Tinder dates and make sure that everyone’s hands stay above the waist.”

“Do you blame me though?” he frowns at the reminder of the times when the so-called dates sneaked a glance that was more than just a little inappropriate for polite company, “You are too sweet and the average Gothamite might just have the horrible idea of gobbling you up.”

“Until I kick their ass and lay them on their back. You do know that I took self-defense class, right? Those are mandatory for those who migrate to Gotham.”

Jason knows because he was the one who badgered her on taking those. Preparedness never hurts anyone. Except the creeps and the murderers and the rapists and… Yeah, you get the idea.

And Marinette is sweet. The kind of sweetness that is fatal in Gotham. Being too kind and too trusting and you become an easy target.

Jason spent the majority of his childhood in Crime Alley. He has seen things and never would he wish those on anyone. Especially if that someone is his friend.

“Anyway,” he changes the subject because, nope, they are not having the ‘No, I’m not overprotective, Marinette!” argument again when they can play bingo and laugh at the how the news put their feet in their mouth and forgot that ‘asking a friend to go as your date so you are not alone’ is a thing, “One for me in my ‘Marinette being called an angel’ box.”

“That’s cheating!” Marinette cries, “You know they nicknamed me that!”

“All is fair in love and war, Marigold!” Jason crows, pencil leaving a tick on his own sheet, grinning impishly at his friend, “You didn’t say your nickname is a no-no!”

“Is it too late to change the bet?”

“Nope! You agreed to this!”

* * *

Marinette’s phone is ringing non-stop, vibrating on her nightstand as Jason coos over a pouting Marinette wrapped in her blanket.

“As cute as you are,” Jason’s smug grin is loud and she does not need to look at him to know it is there, “You really need to check your phone.”

“What if I don’t?” she stubbornly challenges, “What if I just let it continue ringing?”

“We both know whose ringtone that is. Couffaine would have my head if you don’t pick up and talk to him.”

“Luka wouldn’t do that!”

“He definitely would! And Tsurugi would join in with her saber!”

“…”

“Marinette, are you trying to kill me?!”


End file.
